Soothing Fire
by animegamer89
Summary: My version of the series finale. Rated T just to be safe. Zutara.
1. Return to Ember Island

**Author's Note:**

**I have not written a fan fiction in two years…it seems so long ago, going over my other works. Well, here is my new Avatar the Last Airbender fan fiction, criticism is welcome. Takes place after the Southern Raiders.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender. It is the property of its creators and Nickelodeon. **

Chapter 1: Return to Ember Island

It was early morning, and everyone was sleeping. The Fire Nation citizens that were resting, and the guards that were off duty all were completely unaware of what was going on above them. A great horned beast with snow white fur flew overhead in a gentle glide, and on its saddle, battle-hardened kids who had defied all odds in achieving their goals.

Aang and the others, dressed in their Fire Nation clothes, were admiring the view of the island. Everyone was especially dazzled with the sight of the stately homes of the Fire Nation's wealthiest and most influential families. Only Zuko and Toph were unimpressed with what was going on below.

"I still can't believe we're actually going to be staying here," said Katara in a worried voice.

"Relax Katara, Zuko said this place would serve our needs in preparing to strike the Fire Lord again, and besides, I think we deserve to rest somewhere nice for a change," chirped Aang with his usual optimism.

"Yeah Katara, just _chill_, you should be pretty good at that," Sokka said laughing at his own joke. There was nothing but silence and he cleared his throat.

"Sooo Zuko…where is our mansion?" Sokka asked very quickly.

Zuko didn't answer. He had been staring at the saddle the whole time they were flying, and it was obvious that he wasn't paying attention.

"Zuko?" asked Katara.

"Hmm?" he returned to reality and everyone was looking at him, "I'm sorry did you say something?"

"Where are we landing?" asked Katara.

"Oh, uh right. The royal mansion is the one by itself to the east," responded Zuko in a bored voice.

Sokka and the others looked to the east and saw it. Their expectations, however, were shattered. The summer home of the royal family was indeed different from the rest of the beach houses, but not in a positive way. The other houses were built with marbles and fine stones, splendid and exotic woods with beautiful carvings and finishes; the royal estate was crumbling from discontinued use. The roof had some patches, there was a hole in the wall from a storm, the stone stairs were crumbling, and a fountain was broken. When they landed, they got a closer look at the structure, and were even more disappointed.

"**This** is the summer house of the royal family?" asked Sokka, "Where are the fountains, and the servants, and whatever else a palace has?"

Katara quickly elbowed him.

"What Sokka is trying to say Zuko is that-"

"The place is a dump," said Sokka nonchalantly.

"Sokka!" scolded Suki and Katara both.

"It's alright, I know it's not what you guys were expecting, but that's what makes this place perfect for our needs. And besides, do you think I would have brought you here if there were still servants that are loyal to my father working here?" said Zuko.

"…good point," said Sokka.

Zuko walked forward to the estate, and tried to open the doors gently to hide his irritation with the place. But when the doors refused to budge, he gave it a strong kick and forced it open. He looked back to the others who were just staring at him.

"Come on, I'll…show you around," said Zuko before entering.

The group looked on in awe before following the prince. They entered the building into a large lobby area. Despite the condition, there were still some remnants of the house's former glory. There were oxidized bronzes, aged tables, chipped adornments on the wooded pillars, and grand doorways that led to a small courtyard with a broken fountain. Zuko was motioning them to follow him, and they did so.

"This is the courtyard," said Zuko as they entered the outdoor area, "We can use this area for training, and to hold meetings."

Zuko led the gang back into the house.

"The kitchen is in the southwest wing, and the pantry room is right next door. The bedrooms are all on the second story, and the bathing areas are in the eastern portions of the estate," said Zuko. "So does everyone know where everything is?"

The gang nodded.

"Alright then, now if you don't mind, I need to lie down for a bit," said Zuko as he yawned.

As soon as he left their sight, the gang immediately gathered and huddled.

"Ok, something is definitely wrong with Zuko," said Aang.

"What do you think it is?" asked Katara.

"Well, from what we all know, he doesn't get along with some of his family. Maybe being here brings back a lot of bad memories," said Aang.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm not sure I want a gloomy Zuko again" said Sokka.

"So what's your plan Snoozles?" asked Toph.

"How about… I know I can tell Zuko jokes!" proclaimed Sokka.

Silence.

"What? I got a few good ones that will make him laugh," said Sokka.

"No, we're not going to torture the guy. He has enough bad memories as it is," said Toph.

"Well, actually Sokka might be on the right track," said Suki.

Everyone, even Sokka, looked at her oddly.

"He's correct about something?" asked Toph in genuine amazement.

"I am? Er, yeah that's right, it's time for Sokka style jokes!" he exclaimed.

"No Sokka, I wasn't referring to your jokes. But you had the right idea; if he has such bad memories of this place, then why not give him some new memories to replace them?" suggested Suki.

"You mean, like give Zuko something positive to think about when he's here?" asked Toph,

"Yeah," said Suki, "When we, the Kyoshi Warriors and myself, went to Earth Kingdom we realized that there some battles that we couldn't win. This made a lot of us really sad."

"So, what did you do?" asked Katara.

"Well, some nights we would tell jokes, sing songs, make up stories, anything to keep our spirits up and to put smiles on our faces. Maybe we could do the same thing for Zuko," she suggested.

Aang and Katara immediately beamed at the idea.

"That's a great idea Suki!" said Aang.

"How about we throw a party for Zuko?" asked Katara.

"A party? Zuko's not really the party type," said Toph.

"I know that. I meant like a small celebration…to show our…appreciation for everything. He's helped us out in some way or another. I think we should do the same for him. We owe him that much at least," said Katara.

Everyone stared at her quietly, and she began to feel uncomfortable.

"What?" she asked.

"It's just that, a few days ago, you were prepared to kill the guy for breathing the wrong way. Now you want to throw him a party?" asked Toph.

"Well, things change Toph," she replied.

"I agree with Katara. He's helped us out, so let's help him," said Aang.

"He didn't do anything for me," mumbled Toph while crossing her arms.

Once again, silence.

"I'm just saying, you guys all got to go on super cool adventures with the guy, and none of you brought me along,"

"Toph…" began Katara sternly.

"Ok, I'll go along with it. But I'll stay around him, just in case anything cool happens," said Toph.

"Alright, _Operation: Cheer Zuko Up_ starts now," said Sokka.

**xXxXx**

_There was a white light all around Zuko, and it held and cradled him like his mother used to. Suddenly, he noticed a ring of darkness, and it was beginning to encroach upon him. When it engulfed him, he stared deep into the darkness that surrounded him, and within it, he saw silhouettes of shadows shifting constantly, it shapes tugged at the deepest reaches of his heart. He saw that these shapes had consciousness, and he lifted his head toward them._

"_Hello?"_

_A pair of bright yellow eyes immediately shot open. Then another. And then another. Hundreds of eyes all surrounded him, and stared at him hungrily. Then underneath, rows of ivory teeth flashed and snickered. They began to shout and curse "traitor" and "failure" at Zuko before they all went for him, prepared to rip him apart._

Zuko's eyes shot open, and he was sweating profusely, and he felt his heart racing like an ostrich horse at full gallop. He took off his shirt to help himself cool off, and placed his head into his hands and took deep breaths.

"Get a hold of yourself Zuko," he muttered to himself.

_KNOCK! KNOCK!_

Zuko snapped out of his trance, and looked at the door. He sat upright, and cleared his throat.

"Come in," he said.

It was Katara and she was looking at him sheepishly. This made Zuko raise an eyebrow, and he began to feel a little uncertain.

"Hi Katara, did you need something?"

"Say, Zuko, do you want to go out with me today?" asked Katara.

". . . . . . ."

He was shocked to say the least. A mixture of feelings was all over his face, and Katara immediately smiled uncomfortably.

'I knew this would happen!' she screamed in her head.

_Twenty Minutes Earlier_

"_Zuko can't be here while we prepare the party. Someone is going to have to distract him," said Sokka._

"_Who?"asked Aang._

"_Well it can't be you, we can't risk someone recognizing both of you. How about you, Toph?"_

_Toph perked up._

"_Field trip time!"_

"_Actually… I was thinking I would go with him," said Katara._

_The whole group looked at her in disbelief, especially Aang._

"_You want to go with Zuko? Why?" he asked._

"_Well, it's just that I've been a jerk to him ever since he joined us, and I feel like I should try to make it right. It makes sense that I should be the one to keep him busy" she reasoned._

_Sokka and Suki nodded with approval. Aang was struck pretty hard but Katara had a perfectly valid reason. He accepted her decision, even though it made him uncomfortable thinking about Katara and Zuko together for a day. Toph was mad._

"_No fair, I wanted the field trip," she muttered._

"_You'll get your chance don't worry," said Katara._

"_Alright, now go over and get him out of here," said Sokka, "And Katara, a little advice: be direct. _

_Present Time_

'Some advice, Sokka,' she cursed in her head.

"You… want to run that be me again Katara. I mean it's just that I just woke up, and well… you know I might have heard wrong," he said nervously.

"Would you like to hang out…with me?" she rephrased, "For a day? You know…to see the island…and other stuff…"

She didn't realize how hard it was to just ask him to spend a day with her. She thought that since they had made peace with one another that it would be easier, but it turned out to be even worse.

"You mean you want a tour of the island?" asked Zuko, scratching his head and looking away.

"Yes!" she said immediately, "I mean…yes that would be good. It would be…great to know the lay of the land. You know, in case of an emergency."

Zuko thought for a moment.

"Alright, I'll get my cloak."

It was when Zuko was about to get dressed that Katara realized he wasn't wearing a shirt. He noticed this and looked away embarrassed.

"Um, preferably with you not watching."

"Oh, right… sorry."

Katara quickly left the room and closed the door. She rested on it and was trying to calm down, all the while relieved. She was embarrassed that she asked Zuko so directly, but at least he didn't ultimately misinterpret her intentions. She got up and waited for a moment until a cloaked boy left the room and approached her.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Yeah."

The two went through the halls, through the courtyard, and out the entrance. When the coast was clear, the others came out of their hiding spots and got to work.

**xXxXx**

The central plaza of Ember Island's resort town was bustling. Stalls selling silks, novelty blades, and snacks lined the entire square. Due to the island's clientele, many of these stalls had unbelievable prices, such as selling a simple silk tunic for nine-hundred silver pieces. Many of the people were known to Zuko as acquaintances of his uncle, or sister, or father, etc. He tugged the hood of his cloak tightly as he and Katara walked through the main plaza. Katara, sensing his discomfort, and the potential danger of someone recognizing him, turned around to face him.

"Say Zu- er, Lee, I'm starting to get hungry, do you want something to eat?" asked Katara.

"Sure, I guess," said Zuko nervously.

He looked over his shoulder to make sure no one heard Katara out loud. The whole crowd was totally uninterested, and was continuing with their usual routine. He faced Katara again who had an "I'm sorry" expression on her face. Zuko simply nodded, and led her to a nearby teahouse further down toward the beach. They entered, and were greeted instantly by a young waitress who bowed to them, and led them to their table which was next to a window. Katara looked around and saw a variety of people in the establishment from the high-born noble, to store owners on the island.

"So, what do you think of the place now that you've been here?"

Katara looked to see Zuko very much interested in what she had to say.

"I don't know. The place is nice; I mean it reminds me of the upper ring in Ba Sing Se with all the shops and the sights. But all the people here put on airs. I couldn't imagine being here for more than a week," said Katara.

"Two days is the most I can handle here," said Zuko.

"Why just two?"

"Same reason as you mostly. The people here can get over-bearing."

"The rest of the reason?"

"Why are you asking all these questions?"

Now Katara realized why Sokka told her to be direct. If anything, Zuko was irritated with stalling, and he could tell Katara was asking him things in circles. She sighed to herself, and looked at him intently.

"Why do you hate this place so much?"

Zuko was very quiet. A waitress came by with two cups of tea, and set them down in front of each of them. Zuko looked into the cup, and stared into the tea stained water. He looked out of them window, and looked at the beach.

"I knew this would come up," said Zuko.

"You're a member of the group; we need to know what's wrong so we can solve this like a team," said Katara.

"It's not important, not to me at least," said Zuko.

"You're lying, I can tell," said Katara.

"No, really, I'm fine Katara. Let's just enjoy the-"

"Please Zuko, tell me. We can help you; I can help you."

"I'm not one of your troubled youths Katara," he said suddenly, and fairly loudly, "I don't tell you a problem I'm going through, and you miraculously inspire me to get over it. My problems are my own business, and I don't need anyone to solve it for me."

It took a moment for Zuko to realize what he just did. His expression softened, but it was too late. Katara's eyes cringed with anger, and with the fury of a storm behind them, she got up, her fists clenched and on top of the table.

"What is it with you, and the lone wolf attitude? I'm trying to give you a helping hand, and you thank me by biting it?" she shot back in an angry voice.

The teahouse got quiet, and the waitress approached their table.

"Is everything alright, Miss?" asked the waitress, frightened.

"Yes, I was just leaving," said Katara before storming out of the teahouse.

Zuko tried to reach out for her, but she was too quick for him, and the whole teahouse just stared at him and the angry girl leaving the teahouse. Zuko just sighed and slumped into the chair.

Katara immediately ran toward the beach seeking the comfort of the water, and holding back her rage and her tears.

'That stupid jerk! What's his deal? I only wanted to help him, but _nooo_ he had to be all macho!'

Halfway through mentally calling Zuko all sorts of colorful names, her anger began to die down. When it was gone, she stopped and realized that she had made a big scene in the teashop.

'I hope no one discovered Zuko because of that incident,' thought Katara, 'Wait. What am I worried for? Who cares what happens to him?'

Again, her sensible side kicked in.

'Then again, he's Aang's teacher, and a part of the group now… maybe he felt like I was invading a personal area. Ugh, he must think I'm some nosy person. Maybe… maybe I was too hard on him,' she thought.

She went back to the direction of the teahouse, and as she did, she heard two noble women talking.

"If I hear one more thing about Prince Zuko, I swear I will move straight to the colonies."

"I know! It's as if no one was expecting it."

"You mean you were expecting that lout to turn traitor?"

This stopped Katara dead in her tracks. She registered what she just heard, and wanted to hear more out of curiosity. She acted casually, and was pretending to wait for someone.

"Of course, it's like… well it's like dogs you see. When you mix a pedigree with a mongrel, you will, of course, get a mongrel."

"By mongrel, you mean…"

"The mother, of course! That woman could hardly have ever been considered a noble, being what she was. The sole heiress of a disgraced house should have had no business with the Imperial family. Especially since the only male heir she produced was such a…well a mutt."

"But what of Azula?"

"A stroke of good fortune, I say, that's all there is to it. Azula is truly lucky that she tends toward her father."

Katara couldn't stand to hear anymore. She immediately went along to the teahouse, and looked inside to see if he was still there. He wasn't.

"Oh, Miss," began the waitress, "Your friend left. He paid the bill, and went on his way."

"Do you know where he is?" asked Katara.

"No, he seemed to be in a bit of hurry. Perhaps he went to the beach," said the waitress.

"Thanks for the tip," said Katara before leaving.

Katara left the teahouse, and immediately began looking for Zuko.

**xXxXx**

The gang was working hard to spruce up the old mansion. Toph used her earth bending to make the floor a little more stable, Suki took up Katara's role and began to prepare food for the party, and Aang and Momo were hanging up makeshift lanterns along the ceilings of the corridors and around the old fountain in the courtyard. Sokka arrived back with a package, when Aang approached him.

"Aang? What's up buddy?" he asked.

"Sokka, do you think this party will help Zuko out?" asked Aang.

"Suki and Katara seem to think so. If you can't trust their input, than whose can you trust?" said Sokka.

"Yeah, you're right," said Aang.

"Good, now you and Toph get going, there's no telling when Zuko and Katara will be coming back," said Sokka with his "commanding" voice.

"Yes sir Sokka sir," said Aang before getting Toph.

Sokka decided to get a better view of the party. He put the package aside, and he began to climb on one of the pillars to get to the balcony. Unfortunately, he slipped and fell flat on his butt, and yelped out loud.

"It's alright! Nobody worry about me," he said in pain.

Aang and Toph had just walked into the courtyard when this happened, and Aang immediately went to check on his friend. Toph and Suki were near one another when this happened, and Toph just looked at her.

"I don't know what you see in him."

Suki giggled before going back to work.

**xXxXx**

She searched along the beach for a few hours, and noticed the sun was halfway down to sunset. She knew that if she couldn't find Zuko before sundown, they would not be able to have the party that the others were working hard to prepare, and it also would be that much more difficult to locate him.

'I have to find him. Sokka and the others will probably think I killed him, or something.'

The real danger though would be if a guard had caught Zuko, and he was being hauled to a Fire Nation Prison. Katara tried to get the worst case scenario out of her head, and looked for him even more fervently.

**xXxXx**

"Where are they?" whined Toph.

"Do you think they got in a fight?" asked Aang.

"Nah, they probably got hungry," said Sokka.

"You know what I think?" said Toph.

"Or maybe they're having fun. There's supposed to be a lot of beach games," said Aang.

"Nah, they wouldn't-" began Toph.

"No way; Katara probably lost track of time," said Sokka.

"Or maybe they're having a hot make out session in some secluded place in the island!" said Toph.

"What?" shouted Sokka and Aang.

"Just making sure you two were paying attention to me," said Toph, "But in all seriousness, no, that's not what's happening… probably."

Toph had an evil grin crawling across her face as Aang and Sokka became unsettled. Suki walked in carrying a package of her own, and looked at the two.

"What's wrong with you guys?" she asked.

**xXxXx**

It was sunset and Katara continued looking around the beach, but saw no sign of Zuko. Her worry was quickly turning into panic, but she knew that if she was tired it would be difficult to continue the search. She went looking for a bench to sit on when a poster on a wall caught her attention.

**WANTED**

**THE TRAITOR PRINCE ZUKO**

**REWARD: 100000 GOLD PIECES, WITH LAND AND TITLES IN THE COLONIES.**

"A shame isn't it."

Katara looked to see a hooded Zuko. He looked sullenly at Katara, and she quickly embraced him, an action that caught him off guard just as it had when they got back from their journey to confront her mother's killer.

"Katara?"

Katara quickly stepped on his foot.

"Ow, what was that for?" he demanded.

"Are you crazy? What if you got caught? What would Aang and the others think if I didn't bring you back?" she yelled.

Zuko looked up at her, and hung his head.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled sadly.

Katara's expression softened when she realized she was putting him down again.

"No, I'm the one who should apologize. I shouldn't have tried to get an answer out of you like that. I was… meddling, more than I should have," she said.

"No, you were concerned. I should know by now that that's how you are. I shouldn't have blown up in your face like that."

The two were quiet for a moment.

"We should head back," suggested Zuko.

"Yeah," said Katara.

The two immediately went in the direction of the mansion. Katara noticed Zuko was lost in thought, and decided to, gently, try to know what's going on.

"So, what's a shame?"

"That the only time my father thinks I'm not worthless is if I'm his puppet, or if I'm a traitor," said Zuko.

"Does he really think that?" asked Katara.

"You've heard the gossip about me. What the nobles, and the generals say?" said Zuko.

"Yeah, they said a lot of terrible things about you," said Katara.

"A disgrace," said Zuko is bitter voice, "That is the nicest thing anyone said about me after my banishment."

"Who cares what they think Zuko. All that matters is what you think about yourself," said Katara.

"I don't know," said Zuko, "I mean you're probably right, and I'm making this an even bigger deal than it actually is. But what if-"

"Zuko don't worry about them. They don't know you as well as the rest of us, so whatever they say about you is false."

Zuko made a small smile, which also made Katara smile.

"Thanks," said Zuko.

"So that's what's been bothering you about this place? What a few other people think?" asked Katara in a gently manner.

"Not quite. It's a little more complicated than that," said Zuko.

"Well, we can worry about the rest for another day, when you feel comfortable telling us. For now let's head back," said Katara.

Katara took off to the mansion in a dash, but not before giving Zuko an encouraging smile. He saw the glow in her face, and it brought a sense of joy in his heart. He took off after her with the same enthusiasm as he went back to the mansion.

**xXxXx**

Toph's senses picked up two vibrations heading for their direction. The heartbeats were fast, and the footsteps were highly distinct. She knew instantly who they were.

"They're coming back! Hide the stuff!" shouted Toph.

Aang perked up as soon as Toph said Katara was approaching. They all got their boxes and put them into another room, except for Sokka who was taking a nap and using his box as a pillow. Toph slid the package from under him with her earth bending, dropping Sokka's head on the ground.

"Ow!" began Sokka before he realized Toph woke him up, "Toph, what's wrong with you! I almost got the meat!"

"Our two friends are back," said Toph before giving Aang the box.

They got themselves ready as the doors to the main atrium were opened. Zuko noticed that a lot had happened since they first got to the mansion. The floors were cleaner, most of the cobwebs were gone, and some of the old lamps were lit. When he noticed the lights in the courtyard, he looked at Katara, who simply grinned at him. Zuko went to the courtyard, and saw small lanterns and some food on a table.

"Surprise!" said the whole group.

"You did this? For me?" asked Zuko.

"Suki came up with the idea," said Katara.

"But Sokka gave me the idea!" said Suki

"Yeah, you can thank me later," said Sokka.

"Whatever, we all played a role in this," said Toph.

"You looked unhappy, so we thought this would cheer you up," said Aang.

"So, what do you think Zuko?" asked Katara.

Zuko was quiet for a moment.

"I know it's probably not what you're used to, but it's the-"

"It's perfect," Zuko interrupted, "I normally don't like surprise parties, but this… this means a lot. Thank you."

The group let out a sigh of relief, and they quickly got to the festivities. For the first time in many years, lights shone in the royal estate.

**Author's Notes: Super long chapter, maybe one of the longest ones I've ever made for a story. I hope you guys liked this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. **

**Thank you for reading and please review.**


	2. Gifts

**Author's Notes: **

**I'm glad people liked the first chapter. I had actually finished this chapter along with the first, but I wanted to check and see how many reviews I got before uploading this. I'm happy to know that I can still write good fan fictions, and I want to thank you all for the added motivation.**

**Now I present to you the next chapter of Soothing Fire.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender. It is the property of its creators and Nickelodeon.**

Chapter 2: Gifts

The whole group sat in a circle by the fountain, each with their own plates of food. It amazed them what they could do with an actual kitchen to work with instead of a campfire. The soup was nicer, and the meat was much more thoroughly cooked. They didn't have any real games to play at the party, so they made them up as they went along. Right now however, they decided to tell stories about their travels.

"So anyway, after opened up a hole under those three girls, Katara got the whole canal moving, and sent them to middle ring of the city. I heard that the University had to close down because of the cries for help."

Everyone laughed, or chuckled at Toph's story of when Katara and Toph had a girl's day.

"Well, they had it coming," said Katara.

Sokka downed his soup.

"This is good soup," he exclaimed, "Hey Katara, you may have a competitor in who gets to cook."

"Good. Less work for me to do," she replied.

Everyone laughed, but Zuko simply grinned at the whole group dynamic. A month or two ago, he couldn't see himself with these people. Having soup with them, telling stories, enjoying being with one another, it was all so distant to him. But now, he felt something that he had not felt in years: at peace. Simply being content with what he had around him was something that seemed so foreign, yet so familiar, and it excited him.

"So, Zuko, do you have any interesting stories from your travels?" asked Aang.

"It depends. How interesting do you want it?" he asked.

"Oh? Well this should be good. What's the most interesting thing that happened to you in the past three years?" asked Katara.

"Well, it happened in Ba Sing Se, actually," said Zuko.

Katara immediately stiffened.

"My uncle set me up on a date with someone in the lower ring, and it was… an interesting experience," he added.

Katara let out a sigh of relief, but quickly found herself and everyone interested in this particular story.

"Her name was Jin," he continued, "She was a frequent customer of the tea shop that we worked at, and my uncle always noticed the way that she looked at me. So he set me up with her when she asked me to go out with her for the night."

Katara's eyebrow twitched, but she didn't even notice.

"You remember her name? That must have been some date," said Toph in a teasing tone.

"It was," he said surprisingly, with a small grin.

"Was she pretty?" asked Aang.

"Yeah," began Zuko, "She had long black hair, emerald green eyes, and she had a charming personality. She was different from most of the other girls I met. She was sweet, but also very… spirited."

Katara scoffed lightly, but it did not go unnoticed.

"Is something wrong Katara?" asked Aang.

"No Aang, I'm just amazed Zuko remembered someone like that in great detail" said Katara, mildly irritated, "Please, continue."

Zuko raised an eyebrow, but continued with his story.

"Well, it started off weird. She wanted to know where uncle and I were from to start. I had to make up something, so I said we were in a traveling circus," said Zuko, earning a laugh from the group.

"Anyway," he continued with a look of irritation, "she then thought I was the juggler."

Another, slightly louder laugh.

"Do you want me to finish the story, or not?" said Zuko frowning.

"Sorry Zuko, but it's just funny! You, a juggler," said Sokka wiping a tear from his eye.

"Sorry," said Suki seeing Zuko's eyebrow tighten, "Please, finish."

"I kissed her later that night," he said flatly.

Silence….

"What?" said Sokka.

Zuko didn't say a word, but everyone got the hint. It was an unexpected answer to say the least, considering that at the time it did happen, Zuko probably was the same person who was trying to get Aang. Many of them thought in their heads what that must have been like. With the exception of Toph and Katara, everyone tried to picture a very jaded, possibly angry, Zuko kissing a seemingly sweet girl.

"Who died?" said Toph breaking the silence.

"What?" began Zuko, "Is it so strange for you guys to find out that I kissed a girl before?"

"Quite frankly, yes," said Sokka calmly.

"How did you kiss her?" asked Suki.

"Was it nice?" asked Aang.

Zuko looked at the three people nervously.

"W-Why do you want to know?" asked Zuko.

"We're just curious," said Sokka, "So, how did it go?"

"If he doesn't want to talk about it, then he doesn't have to!"

The group discovered the source of the outburst to be Katara. Seeing them looking at her, made her fluster, and she tried to recompose herself.

"I mean, do we really need to know all the details about Zuko's love life. It's his business and… we're… just prying into it like some book… and… I need more soup."

She quickly got up, and made her way to the kitchen. As she was quickly refilling her soup everyone looked at one another oddly, but Toph simply grinned in delight.

"So, what do you guys want to do next?" asked Aang.

"Well, there's Pin the Tail on the Badgermole," suggested Sokka.

No one seemed interested.

"How about we take a break from all the fun for now? I need to stretch my legs," said Toph.

Everyone agreed to Toph's proposal, and they all got up and decided to walk around the house for a bit. Aang went on the roof to play with Momo, Sokka and Suki went elsewhere to be alone, Zuko went deeper into the house, and Toph approached Katara.

"So, you want to talk?"

"What?" asked Katara.

"Don't try to hide it," she warned, "I felt your heart rate going off like a rabaroo in a field."

"What? Just because some girl and Zuko went out? Hardly," she said.

"If you had to mention it…" said Toph.

Katara looked at the smaller girl.

"What? I am not bothered at all by Zuko and Jin. I mean, why should I be bothered by something like that? It was just a date that Zuko didn't want to go to," she muttered.

"But something about it did bother you."

"Toph, whoever Zuko kisses is his own business. We shouldn't pry into people's personal lives like that and- why are you looking at me like that?" she asked seeing Toph's sly grin widened across her face.

"Why would you mention kissing?" she asked giggling, "I know I didn't."

"Because that's… I mean…" she sighed, "Just drop it Toph. Whatever you're thinking, it's not it."

"So, what am I thinking?"

Katara was about to respond, but she just walked away, huffing at the clever earth bender who just stood there with a smile. Toph however just realized something. She wanted more soup too, but she couldn't find the ladle anywhere.

"Um, a little help anyone?"

**xXxXx**

Zuko was staring at the sea from a balcony on the estate. The sounds of the waves caused a calm and soothing feeling to well up inside him as he saw the waves flow in and out along the coastline, and saw the stars glitter like fine gems in a thick layer of ebony. He marveled at their comforting, twinkling lights in the sea of darkness.

Zuko's thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of a fast paced walking. He quickly looked over his shoulder and saw an irritated Katara walking quickly into the balcony area. She immediately saw Zuko and her expression turned into surprise as she found herself in his presence.

"Um, hi," she said weakly.

"Hello," he replied, "What's going on? Is the group getting back together already?"

"No, we're all still taking a break from the festivities. Speaking of which, how do you like your party?"

"It's nice. This place hasn't seen laughter in a long time, and that's a good thing, he said with a grin"

Katara smiled at Zuko's statement. She felt glad that they were able to put a smile on his face, considering he made it clear he did not like being on the island. Zuko turned to her, and noticed her staring at him with a warm look on her face.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Hm? Oh, no, it's just… I've never seen you this way at all. You're usually so broody, and straight faced."

"Well, maybe I'm finally starting to loosen up."

Katara laughed, and Zuko smiled at her.

"What?" she said, noticing the look that he gave her.

"Thanks for that… intervention with my story earlier. I felt like I was being interrogated for a moment."

"Oh, you're welcome," she replied with a smile, "It reminded me of earlier today, and well it didn't feel right, you know what I mean?"

"Yeah," he replied, "I mean we have more important things to worry about now, and my love life is not one of them."

"Tell me about it," she said coldly.

Zuko noticed the change in tone.

"So, we're good, right?"

"What?" asked Katara.

"You know," he said, "It's strange seeing everyone all happy, and comfortable around me. Especially you, after what I… did."

"…at Ba Sing Se," said Katara in a neutral tone.

"And all the other times I've chased you around," he added with guilt in his voice, "I know, everyone's forgiven me, but I still can't help but-"

"Zuko, it's ok, really. We've already forgiven you, and _I_ know you're truly sorry for what you did. So please, stop beating yourself up over this; just let everything go."

Zuko hung his head in embarrassment, and scratched his head.

"Sorry, it's just that, you've been pretty cold lately. So if there's something that I'm doing, then-"

Katara put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, causing him to look at her.

"You're not the reason Zuko, I promise you."

Zuko looked into her sapphire eyes with his amber ones, and smiled.

"Thanks, Katara."

Katara was taken aback, and got goose bumps from the way that Zuko said her name.

"Katara?"

"Oh, right, you're welcome Zuko," she said remembering that last thing the fire bender told her, "Well let's get back to the others; they'll want to know where the guest of honor is."

"Right," he said with a thoughtful tone and expression.

"What now?" she asked in response.

"Well, I was wondering, why did you sound irritated when I described Jin?"

Katara's face went red instantly.

"Um, well, I-"

"Hey guys, where are you?" shouted Aang in the distance.

"Coming!" said Katara running back to the fountain.

Zuko simply looked at the girls retreating form, but decided not to question her. It had been a long day, and now was the time to just unwind and have some fun.

**xXxXx**

Sokka and Suki were sitting by the fountain where the party was held. Aang was chasing Momo around near the food table, and Toph was drinking her new cup of soup. Zuko and Katara appeared from one of the corridors.

"Hey guys, I found Zuko," said Katara.

Zuko walked out slowly behind her with a small grin.

"Hey guys, so what's next?" he asked.

"Well, we thought we could give you some presents and all," said Sokka.

"You guys got me gifts?" asked Zuko.

"I don't remember any plans about getting Zuko gifts," said Katara.

"We decided while you weren't here. Sokka made us all go one at a time, except me. I went with Aang," said Toph.

"And where exactly did you get the money for said gifts?" asked Katara.

"Well, we just didn't liberate people from the Boiling Rock," said Sokka slyly, "While Zuko was in confinement, I managed to rescue some of the prison's funds."

"Guys, you didn't have to do this," said Zuko.

"Awww, don't be so modest. After everything you've done for us, you've earned this," said Sokka.

Zuko grinned at Sokka's statement, but Katara however looked embarrassed being without a gift of her own. Aang went up to Zuko with his gift first.

"Zuko, you taught me fire bending, and I'm really grateful for having you as a teacher. So I got you this."

He presented his teacher with very thick scroll, and when Zuko unraveled it, it had numerous bending forms painted onto it. As he looked over it, he noticed that some of the forms were no longer practiced in the modern fire bending styles.

"Thanks Aang. This could give us both an edge above my father and sister."

Aang grinned, and rubbed the back of his head. Suki was the second to come up, and give Zuko a gift.

"You helped to get me out of the Boiling Rock, so I figured this would be a good gift for you."

She presented to him a tea set. Although it seemed like such a modest gift, it reminded him of his uncle, and the good times that he had drinking tea with him, though he would never really admit it. Zuko smiled at the gift, and nodded his approval to Suki.

"Thanks Suki, this means a lot to me personally."

Suki smiled, and Sokka approached with a large box.

"Anyway, you know how when Azula attacked us at the Western Air Temple, you had to leave your swords behind?" said Sokka as he pulled out a package from behind.

Zuko looked at the parcel with great interest. Sokka handed it over to him, and Zuko received it very gently, and looked to the others. Their looks urged him to open it, and Zuko did. He marveled at what was inside: a new sword.

"Go on, check 'em out," said Sokka.

Zuko removed the swords from the box, and held them in front of him. The sword appeared to be just like the dual daos that he carried with him on his earlier adventures, but these ones were slightly lighter and longer. He pulled them out, and gave it a few good twirls. He separated them and tested the way they felt. The swords handled better in his opinion, they also looked nicer, and he could imagine using them in more dangerous battles than ever.

"You picked this out?" asked Zuko.

"I have a knack with weapons," said Sokka.

"Thanks Sokka," he replied gratefully.

Sokka laughed a little, and began to pat himself on the back. Toph walked up to Zuko.

"I know we didn't have some life changing field trip, or some totally awesome adventure, but that doesn't mean I can't give you something right?" she said to him.

"Um, if you say so," said Zuko.

"Alright, you know how I said I was going to pay you back for burning my feet?" asked Toph.

"Um, sure," he replied with a gulp.

"Well, you've been nice to everyone, and you've more than proven your position in this whole situation, so I'll just forget about it. You get a clean slate from me."

Zuko let loose a sigh off relief as Toph walked away with her usual stride of confidence. The last member of the group, Katara, stood in front of him now, surprising him.

"I don't have anything because _someone_ left me out on the loop with this part," she said giving glares to Sokka, "But I promise I'll get you something good."

"Katara, you don't have to. Your forgiveness is enough," said Zuko.

"No, I insist, and don't argue with me about it," she replied.

Zuko knew one thing: that once Katara makes up her mind about something, it was impossible to talk her out of it. He nodded in her decision, and turned to the others who were looking at him.

"Thanks guys, you didn't have to do this, but I'm glad you did. This may be one of the few times I've enjoyed being here," he said to them.

They all cheered, happy that their friend was happy with their efforts, and they all gave him a group hug. Katara was the last one to join in because she couldn't seem to find a spot to hug him, and when she did, she gave him an embrace.

They all felt the warmth from the hug coming from Zuko, mostly because he was in a fluster as to what was happening to him right now. The group took in the moment, but the one who was really lost in it was Katara. Like Zuko, she could not imagine herself doing this a month ago: giving Zuko a hug and treating him like one of their own. But time and time again, he had proven that he was on their side, and would do whatever it took to stop his father from taking over the world. All of this, and his good nature declared on thing in her mind.

Zuko had become part of their family.

**Thank you for reading and please review.**


	3. Thoughts

**Author's Note: **

**This chapter is pretty short, but I'm sure you'll like it regardless. I also did a minor change in the first chapter; no really plot changes, I just indicated that the gang was wearing their Fire Nation clothes. Otherwise, it's the same chapter.**

**I want to thank everyone for reading and reviewing, especially AnnaAza, sokkantylee, NorthernLights25, and charizardag. It means a lot to me, and it does motivate me to write faster. Thank you all so much, now enjoy the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender. It is the property of its creators and Nickelodeon.**

Chapter 3: Thoughts

The morning after the party, the whole group ate breakfast in the courtyard. Each of them was sipping a bowl of juk, and they sat around a large bowl of lychee nuts that they got for themselves on occasion. Zuko was in very high spirits, much higher than he normally was in. His thoughts centered on the party thrown in his honor the previous night. Thinking about it really made him happy and he got so caught up in his thoughts that he momentarily forgot the manners drilled into him as a boy, and slurped the last of his juk very loudly. He noticed the noise that he made, and slowly lowered his bowl. The group around him stared, with wide eyes.

"Um, excuse me," he said lamely.

"Well, looks like Zuko is human just like the rest of us, eh Katara?" said Sokka with a smile.

"Speak for yourself, Sokka. I don't eat like that," she replied.

Zuko felt embarrassed, and sank his head slightly to hide his expressions. However, he found it pretty pointless to do that since Toph picked up on his feelings right away.

"It's ok; we're not going to judge you Hotman. At least you _have_ table manners, unlike Sokka," said Toph.

"Hey! I _sooo_ have table manners!" said Sokka.

"Oh, sure you do Mr. I'll-eat-everything-in-Toph's-house," said Toph, "Don't think I haven't forgotten about that."

Sokka was about to retaliate when he heard a laugh. They all looked to see that it was Zuko who had let out a small laugh, but he quickly composed himself.

"Uh… I could see that happening," he said.

"Were you laughing?" asked Aang.

"I don't laugh," said Zuko sternly.

Despite the scowl on his face, there was rolling drop of perspiration sliding down his cheek, and his eyes looked back and forth between the sky and the group at a regular interval.

"What?"

This made the whole group laugh.

"Aww, come on Zuko, lighten up," said Katara, "It's not a crime to laugh at my brother every now and then."

"Hey, it's a crime to me!" shouted Sokka indignantly.

Zuko looked down at the bowl in the middle of the group, and saw the last lychee nut. Seeing a way to easily cover the grin that was trying to form on his face, he reached for it, but unfortunately, Momo got it before he could.

"Hey! I was going to get that!" he shouted at the lemur.

"Momo's spoken," said Sokka jokingly, "You snooze you lose."

"That might explain why Momo always makes your bag a nest whenever you sleep, _Snoozles_," retorted Toph.

"He what? You mean… those pellets were- ugh, gross!" shouted Sokka before joining Zuko in shooting death glares at Momo.

The lemur simply ignored them as he happily ate the nut. The whole group giggled at the two boy's defeat at the hands of the small lemur, and returned to their meals. Sokka grumbled incoherently, but people could hear the words "sneaky lemur." Zuko instead chose to wear his trademark scowl as he crossed his arms.

"Don't get so bummed out," said Katara, "It was just a nut."

"Well, if he wanted it so badly, he could have squealed of something," said Zuko.

Katara sighed.

'He is being so childish,' she thought as she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"If the mornings after parties are this fun, we should have more of them," said Aang, and most of the group nodded in agreement.

Toph, feeling full, grabbed the only thing she didn't eat.

"Here," said Toph offering her last lychee nut to Zuko.

Zuko was about to get it when Momo swooped down and took it from the air. He turned every shade of red, which matched his outfit, and smoke shot through his nostrils.

"That's it! Get over here you flying weasel!" he shouted as he quickly got on his feet.

He started to chase Momo around the courtyard, causing some mixed reactions in the group: Sokka was cheering on Zuko, Aang tried to mediate, Toph was enjoying the sounds of the chase, Suki was making sure her breakfast didn't spill, and Katara just rolled her eyes. Zuko chased Momo into the kitchen and it didn't take long for a loud crash ring through the area. The whole group ran to the kitchen to see Zuko covered with metal pots and pot covers, and Momo sitting on his shoulders licking his cheeks. He looked angrily to the small furry animal, who quickly offered the nut to him.

"…Thanks," he muttered.

Everyone found the entire scene hilarious.

"Here," said Katara offering her hand.

As Zuko took her hand, Momo flew off. When Zuko was back on his feet, he looked the other way with flushed cheeks, embarrassed the others had seen him in that situation. He took a deep breath to calm down and approached Aang.

"Firebending practice after breakfast," he said trying to maintain an authority image on Aang.

Aang nodded as Zuko walked passed him muttering "stupid lemur" under his breath.

Katara noticed Zuko's apparent anger, but figured it was all a front. She didn't understand why but something about how Zuko acted right now seemed natural, and she found this version of him much better than the broody prince she was used to fighting with all those months ago. Part of her wondered if this was what he was like before he got banished. Sokka cleared his throat, taking her away from her thoughts.

"Hey guys," began Sokka, "Me and Suki are going to the market. We need meat to go with dinner."

"Get some bok choi while you're at it," said Katara.

"We need meat, not _vegetables_," said Sokka, referring to the last word with great distaste.

"Aang can't eat meat, remember?" said an irritated Katara.

"I know, but there are vegetables growing out of the halls, and the floors," whined Sokka as he commented on the state of the house, "Can't you just use those?"

"Just do what she tells you to," said Zuko before Katara could say anything.

"You're taking her side?" said Sokka sounding like he had been betrayed.

Zuko just stared at him firmly.

"Ugh… FINE! I'll get… _vegetables_," said Sokka.

Katara looked at Zuko warmly.

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem," said Zuko.

There was a bit of an awkward silence between the two until Katara cleared her throat.

"Well, I should wash the plates and stuff," said Katara.

"Katara," said Zuko suddenly before she could get very far, "Would you… like some help before I teach Aang firebending?"

She turned around, and saw him looking at her.

"You want to help me with the dishes?"

"If you don't want me to, I understand," he said politely.

Katara just smiled at him.

"Well, you can dry the dishes, how about that?"

Zuko nodded, and followed her into the kitchen and got to work.

**xXxXx**

Sokka and Suki were buying more foodstuffs, mostly meat and a little bit of vegetables, for possible dinner plans that night. Sokka tried to emphasize on the "little" part, but got enough for what he thought would tie Aang over for the next couple of days. He looked around the market place when Suki held up a flyer.

"Look what I found," she said.

Sokka almost dropped the groceries as a smile grew across his face.

**xXxXx**

Zuko's uplifted self showed during his training period with Aang. They practiced with the forms in the scroll that Aang had given him as a gift, and they managed to nail each of the routines with absolute precision.

Toph and Katara were sitting nearby while the two boys were training. Toph was sitting on the floor with her legs stretched out, and her feet moved back and forth like a metronome causing pebbles to move with them. Katara was simply watching the dazzling display of flames as Aang and Zuko practiced. She saw Aang was immersing himself in the forms, his speed and reactions matching the suddenness of the element, and felt proud that he was taking his training seriously. However, most of her attention fell on Zuko.

It amazed her that a simple gesture like a party could do for a person, especially since she remembered what Toph had told her only yesterday. Not long ago, she had treated Zuko like dirt, and she still found it hard to believe that she did. It had definitely affected him in relation to the group; he was more sheepish then, and a little hesitant to go full out with teaching Aang, fearing that she would misinterpret his actions. But now that she had given him her vote of confidence, he seemed more determined, focused, driven, muscular…

'Huh?' she quickly thought, 'Where did that come from?'

She noticed her cheeks were hot, and she gently patted them. Toph however saw a golden opportunity.

"Enjoying the show Sugar Queen?" she teased.

"Er… yeah, their bending is incredible," Katara replied quickly.

"Uh-huh, I'm sure their _bending_ is incredible," she added.

Katara had a feeling that Toph was alluding to something else, and she had a pretty good idea what it was. She then remembered last night, and Toph's prodding questions. She still couldn't believe that Toph would think that she was jealous of Jin dating Zuko.

'Well, she's wrong,' she declared in her mind, 'I'm glad Zuko got to go with a girl… who's not me. Because… it would be… just because!'

While Katara was struggling with her thoughts, Aang and Zuko finished their routine, and bowed to one another.

"Good work Aang, a little more practice, and then I think you'll be ready for a special technique my uncle taught me," he said.

"A special technique? I like the sound of that," said Aang, ever the child filled with wonder and awe.

He sped on off to Katara, eager for feedback from her, as well as some praise, and Zuko sat on the fountain and went over the forms in the scroll. After a few moments, they heard a thud from the door. Sokka had come back, dropped the groceries on the floor, and rose up a scroll.

"Guys, you'll never guess what Suki and I found!" he said excitedly before showing them the scroll, "They made a play about us."

The group looked with speculation at the idea of watching a play about themselves, especially since it wasn't from their point of view, but rather the point of view from other people and from rumors. Most of the speculation, however, was because of the fact that Sokka was the one pitching the idea to them, and to top it off, upon hearing the name of the company performing the play, Zuko groaned with great discomfort, explaining that they were the worst performers in the world due to their bad acting, and inconsistent performances.

"Come on guys it'll be fun!" assured Sokka.

_Later that night…_

The gang got back from the house disappointed, and horrified. Zuko had been correct, it was by far the worst thing they had ever seen. Their characters were completely off, though Toph still seemed to like hers, and worst of all, there were a lot of misinterpretations, and inaccuracies in the scenes.

The worst scene of them all, at least for Katara, was the one in the crystal catacombs. It was awkward since Zuko sat next to her and the scene was totally inaccurate to what really happened, but what happened afterwards was what bothered her. Aang had confronted her about it. He was hurt and dejected, and wanted to know about their relationship. And when she had said they had more important things to take care of, and that she was confused about her feelings, he tried to kiss her again; she pulled away from him, and ran off. That moment kept playing in her head over and over again, despite her strong desire to get her mind away from the play.

"Ok," said Sokka apologetically as he sat down in the fountain, "So I was wrong, that play was not fun."

"You said it," said Aang.

"I can't believe I was depicted like that," said Katara.

"I can," said Toph.

"Says the person who had her gender mixed up," she shot back.

"You're just jealous because my character was one-hundred percent pure awesomeness," said Toph.

"Yeah, your character wasn't a total joke like mine."

The group looked to see Zuko sitting in the corner. There was no expression on his face, but his eyes were boiling with anger. Katara noticed that he looked just like he was yesterday, only worse. He was depressed and angry again, and she doubted another party was going to fix things this time.

"Your character was not _that_ bad Hotman," said Toph sensing the torrent of his emotions, "He sounded a lot cooler than Sokka's."

"Hey!" cried out Sokka, "Ok, the fact that I took you guys to that awful show, I get that, but why is everyone attacking me today?"

"Whatever," he said getting up quickly, ignoring Sokka's complaint, "I'm going to bed… goodnight."

Zuko skulked off deeper into the house, ignoring the concerns of the others. He just wanted to go to sleep, and forget about the rotten evening that they had watching that travesty of a performance. In the back of his mind, he began to feel bad that he was making the others worry, especially since they had put all that hard work into making him feel better last night, but he couldn't help it. How could he, after he heard the cheers his own people made when he was killed off at the end.

He entered his room, slammed the door, and fell face first into the bed, not bothering to change out of his clothes. His eyelids became heavy as he heard footsteps outside his door. He turned his head slightly in its direction, and noticed two shadows in the light seeping through the bottom of the door. The shadows just stayed there for a while before moving away. Zuko straightened himself out and tried to go to sleep.

**xXxXx**

Katara couldn't sleep. All she could think about for the past four hours was the really bad evening that the whole group had. She had a bad feeling about watching that play, and she began to curse herself for not being adamant enough to say no, though none of them had thought that they would be affected by it to such a degree at the time. The play had its comedic moments that brought a smile to their faces, but those were miniscule in comparison to the amount of damage that it had done to their spirits. However the one who seemed to suffer the most from the play was Zuko.

She found herself thinking of him constantly, and she couldn't really figure out why. But she knew that he was in pain at the moment, a lot of deep emotional pain. She thought she had taken care of that when they threw him his party, and just this morning, he seemed so normal.

Katara had stopped outside of his door earlier, her instincts as a healer prompting her to make him feel better. But she just stood there, unsure of what to even say to him. She felt helpless as she felt his pain through his door, but could do nothing about it. She reluctantly had to leave, worried that she may spook him, and feeling that it was probably best to try to make him feel better when she actually knew how to do it. That however, was the main problem that she faced. How could she help someone who closed himself off from others? She had refused to try to know him since he joined the gang, and the consequences were showing themselves.

'I need to get my mind off of this for a while,' she thought in her head.

She got up, and decided to go to the courtyard, thinking some fresh air would clear her head. When she got there, she was bathed in the light of a three-quarter moon, and looked at it. She silently thanked Yue as she felt better in the blue light as it reinvigorated her, and she decided to relax on the fountain. She sat down with her thoughts, took very even breaths. Just then, a slight booming sound slit the air. She got up and looked around and saw a red flash through a hole in the wall. She went to it, and peered through. She saw Zuko firebending on the beach, and couldn't help but notice the frequency of flames coming from him. It was highly erratic, as if he was under immense pressure.

She quickly went to the front gates of the house.

**xXxXx**

Zuko couldn't sleep either. He had managed to sneak out of the house half an hour earlier, and had been shooting fire at a giant boulder along the beach trying to break it to alleviate the stress on his mind. It was a massive piece of stone, and it wasn't even close to cracking. He became so frustrated, that he charged up another, but far more powerful attack.

"Zuko?"

He knew the voice. His expression softened immediately, and he broke from concentration and from his stance.

"Katara…"

"What are you doing?" she asked with a worried expression on her face.

"…Couldn't sleep," he muttered, "You?"

"Same here," she replied.

The two only noises between the two was the sound of the waves crashing into the sandy beaches. Zuko looked at Katara's compassionate stare, and tried desperately to hide the fury in his own eyes, afraid of giving her the wrong idea. Katara chose to sit down. Zuko watched her for a moment, and decided to do the same.

"So, do you want to talk about it?" she asked, after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.

"…Talk about what?" he asked.

"Why you decided to attack that innocent boulder," she replied softly.

Zuko didn't want to answer, but he knew Katara would probably just keep nagging at him if he didn't.

"I hated that play," he answered.

"We all did," she replied.

"No, you guys were _angry_ at that play. All it did was make fun of you guys, and portray you in a negative light," he corrected, "As for me? It was…"

"It was what?"

"A reminder," he said after a moment of silence, "You asked me once, why I hated this place. That play, and this island… they are a reminder of what the people of the Fire Nation think of me: nothing. No one here recognizes me, or would even bother to. Even when my family was actually a family, I was always referred to as "Ozai's boy" or "Azula's brother," and all they know and want to know about me came from my father and sister who hate me."

"I'm sure not everyone in the country thinks of you that way," said Katara.

"There was a boy who saw my face, and he said that the scar was on the wrong side just because the actor playing me had it on the opposite side of his face. How could you possibly know what it's like to have your identity shaped by other people?" he responded coldly.

"I don't," she shot back before relaxing again, "But you need to stop being so pessimistic. I'm sure there are some people in the country who really know who you are, and admire you in some way. After the war, there will be plenty of opportunities to show yourself, your real self to your people."

"…I doubt that," he whispered quietly.

"Why do you keep saying that? Why do you feel this need to put yourself down Zuko?"

Zuko looked at her sadly.

"What will happen if we win?" asked Zuko.

Katara gawked at him, surprised by the suddenness of the question.

"What do you mean?"

"If we win, what will happen? Think about it. Say we do win, and that my uncle becomes the Fire Lord. Who is going to support him? The nobles? The army? You saw the audience in the playhouse. No one is going to trust or listen to him. They'll just see him as a puppet of the Avatar, or as an opportunist. They can easily start a civil war, and the Earth Kingdom could take advantage of that. Simply put, ending this war could lead to another, more costly war than the first. What opportunity will I have then?" said Zuko.

Zuko's outburst confused Katara, but it did manage to sink in. What would happen after the war? Zuko's scenarios were very possible, but she also knew that Aang and the others would never let that happen. Then another thought confused Katara.

"Why your Uncle, and not you?" asked Katara.

"Me?" asked Zuko, "As in… me being the Fire Lord?"

"Yes," said Katara, "That could be your opportunity to show your country the real you, and I think you could really do the job. Why wouldn't you take up the position?"

"Is that a serious question? I mean, have you seen me? I'm not a politician, or a diplomat. I couldn't even convince _Ty Lee_ that I thought she was a good acrobat. She thought I was being sarcastic," said Zuko.

"That's not true Zuko. You were able to convince all of us that you were on our side," reasoned Katara.

"Yeah, but it took weeks to do that," said Zuko.

"Of course; in a few weeks you convinced us, people you chased around for a whole year, that you were here to help. It wasn't easy, but you did just that. You _can_ mend the wounds that the Fire Nation made during the war. Granted it will take some time, but you can do it Zuko. You can't lose… faith in yourself" said Katara.

He looked away from her, and was quiet for a long time before he smiled.

"You know, you really do make a lot of speeches about _hope_," said Zuko picking up on Katara's word choice.

Katara gawked at the statement.

"What? I-I am not like that at all," she said indignantly, "That actress was terrible, and whoever said I'm like that they're totally wrong. I-"

Zuko interrupted her when he began to laugh.

"And just what is so funny?" she asked out of irritation.

"Relax, it was a compliment," explained Zuko, "You need to lighten up."

"So says the uptight firebender," she retorted with a sly smile on her face.

"I am not uptight," said Zuko.

"Really?" she said with a giggle, "Then maybe I must have imagined you constantly saying, 'I must capture the Avatar to restore my honor."

Zuko stopped smiling, instantly reminded of the past, and looked away.

"No, you heard correctly," he replied.

Katara's expression saddened.

"Sorry," she said.

"It's ok," said Zuko solemnly, "…Thank you."

"For what?" she asked.

"Everything you've done for me since we got here," said Zuko, "I don't know how you do it, but you have a knack for making people feel better. I appreciate it."

"Oh, you're welcome, Zuko," said Katara.

Katara was about to get up when Zuko gently grasped her hand. She felt her face warm up, and her breath stop for a moment, and looked back at him.

"Do you mind…? I'd like some company for a while, if it's ok," said Zuko before gently removing his hand from hers.

Katara looked at him. His cheeks were slightly tinted red, and he looked away from her. She sat back down and stretched her legs, and leaned back onto her hands and stared into the sea. Zuko just looked up in the sky and stared at the stars and the moon. Both of them didn't speak a word, and they didn't have to.

**Author's Notes:**

**This chapter was just to tie it in with the canon of the show. I hope you all liked it. Also, if it's not too much trouble, tell me what you thought of Zuko's meeting with Katara at the end.**

**Thank you for reading and please review.**


	4. Problems and Solutions

**This chapter is a bit of a filler, but it is important. There is fluff at the end, and I think you'll like it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar The Last Airbender. It is the property of its creators and Nickelodeon. **

Chapter 4: Problems and Solutions

Katara was preparing a large breakfast in the kitchen. On the counter were a lot of meat, courtesy of Sokka, and a couple of random vegetables, also courtesy of Sokka. She spent the first half hour trying to figure out what she could actually put in the meal, since her brother obviously didn't have any kind of sense when it came to picking out non-meat related foods. She eventually settled on stew, since it was really all she could make with what she had.

'Next time, I'm doing the shopping,' she thought.

As she prepared the stew, her thoughts stopped.

'Next time…' she thought, 'What are we going to do when this is over? We wouldn't have much of a reason to stay together, and travel, and camp, would we?'

Zuko's talk with her the night before made her begin to think of the future, but her thoughts were interrupted when Aang ran into the kitchen in a frantic hurry.

"Aang, what's going on?" she asked in a concerned voice.

"Katara, I need you!" he answered holding her arms roughly with a pleading look in his eyes.

Katara's face flushed at what Aang just did and told her, especially the last three words. She felt panic and frustration build up very quickly. Did Aang just forget about the conversation from last night?

"Aang we talked about this already," she began uncomfortably, "I already told you I'm-"

Zuko ran into the hallway, and came into full view of Katara, interrupting her. He looked the opposite direction, before looking in the kitchen.

"There you are," he said in a frustrated voice as he caught sight of Aang.

He walked angrily toward the young Avatar when Katara stood between them.

"What's going on?" she demanded in a low voice.

"He's crazy!" shouted Aang.

"I'm not crazy," Zuko corrected, "You're just too lazy to do the drills."

"Only because you made them harder than they already are," retorted his young student.

Aang's comment made Zuko's good eye twitch. However, he saw Katara, and he took a deep breath to calm down and looked Aang in the eye.

"It's not that bad," he said in a strained voice.

"Going from twenty hot-squats to one hundred is too much. Especially since I have to do sit ups, dragon lunges, and push ups right after that," complained Aang.

"I do that same amount every morning, and you know what? I still end up beating you in sparring practice," shot back Zuko, tossing his newfound self-control to the winds.

"Enough, both of you!" shouted Katara before becoming calm, "Zuko, I know you mean well by making things more challenging, but you need to ease up on Aang, he's not you. Start with something smaller like fifty, and work your way up from there."

Aang snickered a bit, but Katara whirled to Aang, causing him to silence himself.

"And Aang, Zuko's your instructor; you have to do whatever he says, and not complain about it. It's almost summer's end, so it's crunch time. Do you understand?"

Aang nodded, and Zuko sighed.

"…Sixty for each drill, and no lower," said Zuko.

"…Ok," groaned Aang, "I'll see you later Katara."

She shifted uncomfortably, but smiled. Aang walked away, looking at the ground, and Zuko turned to face Katara.

"I know you mean well, but you shouldn't coddle him like that," he told her, "He needs to understand that things will only get harder from this point on."

"I know," she replied, "But he needs the support, even if I..."

She imagined the moment in the playhouse when Aang tried to kiss her for a brief instant, and felt uncomfortable.

"Katara?" asked Zuko.

"How are you feeling?" she asked quickly.

"Excuse me?" replied Zuko, surprised from the suddenness of the subject.

"Last night? When we… you know talked," she said staring at the floor, her cheeks a little pink.

"Oh… um, fine… thanks for you know… staying with me… and talking and all," said Zuko stumbling with his words, "I… I've got to train Aang."

"Yeah, well… um, have fun," said Katara.

Zuko left the kitchen quickly, and Katara began to work on the stew a little bit more. She threw some bones in the water, and began to cut potatoes and carrots. Last night was crazy, and it still rang through her mind like a gong. The thoughts weren't as strong, but they still hummed in her mind.

She thought spending time with Zuko, a good night's rest, and cooking would take her mind off of Aang, but he was still there. His outburst earlier on how he needed her brought everything she tried so hard to forget back into the forefront of her thoughts. He and his attempt to make contact with her lips last night unsettled her, and confusion kicked back in.

'Aang…' she thought, "What am I going to do…"

"Hey Katara-"

"WAAAH!" she yelped as she looked around to see Suki.

"Um… what's for breakfast?" she asked.

"Oh," said Katara embarrassed, "Stew."

"What kind of stew?" asked Suki.

"Meat and potato, minus the meat for… Aang," she replied as she put all of the potatoes in the pot.

"Oh, ok," said Suki.

She looked at Katara, and saw that something was bothering her. Katara sounded her usual self, but her body language was a completely different story. She was holding the soup ladle more tightly, and stirring the liquid meal with more vigor than usual. She was tapping her feet very lightly, but enough that it would be noticeable. But the one feature that told her there was something wrong was Katara's eyes. Her head faced the stew, but her eyes were staring at some random pots on the side. Suki's concern made her clear her throat, loudly, so as to get Katara's attention.

"Yes, Suki?" she replied.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, why?" asked Katara.

"Oh, just, well… it just seems like something is bothering you. What's the matter?"

"Nothing, and if there was, it's nothing I can't handle," she replied.

Suki looked at her friend, and didn't believe a word she said. She could tell something wrong with Katara. She had seen Zuko leave the kitchen earlier, and she figured that Zuko may have something to do with it.

"So, is the 'nothing' Zuko?" she asked.

"What? Zuko? No, why?" she asked more quickly than she normally would.

"Oh, just wondering," said Suki catching Katara's unusually fast response, "I mean he did just walk out of here, and you seem distracted. Did something happen?"

"Oh that? Zuko stepped up Aang's training regiment, and I told him he was being too hard. I mean I know he does hundreds of exercises in the morning, but that doesn't mean Aang could suddenly do it," explained Katara, before she returned her attention to cutting a carrot for the stew.

Suki looked at her thoughtfully. Her tone was different at the mention of Zuko, and she had begun to wonder. Suki knew this would go off topic, but her curiosity demanded answers.

"You know, you two have gotten quite close over the past few days. You and Zuko I mean," began Suki.

"Er… I guess," said Katara, "Between the field trip, as Aang put it, and the party, I guess it's only natural that I would be friends with Zuko."

"Or, perhaps…" she began, "more than friends?"

Katara almost cut her fingers when she heard the last three words of Suki's sentence.

"E-Excuse me?" she stammered.

"I mean, it would make sense," continued Suki.

"We're just friends," she said quickly.

"You have been spending a lot of time with him lately," she added, ignoring Katara's words.

"I spend a lot of time with you guys too, you know," she shot back.

"Well Sokka's your brother, Toph and I are your girl friends, and Aang is your student, so it's perfectly logical. But Zuko…" she trailed off, "now that's really something else."

"You know what Suki, you're worse than Toph," said Katara "There is nothing going on between me and him. We are just two people who have gotten past our differences and are now _friends_. So please, just drop it."

Suki gawked at Katara's response.

"I suppose you're right," said Suki sounding disappointed.

Katara gave a sigh of relief as she returned to cooking, missing a mischievous smile from her friend.

"But still… I can see a lot of things girls would find appealing in Zuko," said Suki.

Katara rolled her eyes and chose to ignore her.

"I mean, of course, he's a prince, but he's also got the whole 'mysterious loner' thing going for him too. It gives him that unknown dark side that lurks beneath the surface. And speaking of surfaces, let's face it; he's got great muscles, shaggy black hair…"

"It's not going to work Suki," reaffirmed Katara, "I'll agree with you in that there's more to him underneath the surface, but that's it."

Suki frowned a bit, but quickly smiled as she remembered something one of her fellow warriors did while fighting in the Earth Kingdom that made her realize her feelings for Sokka.

"You cannot tell me you never even once thought about him like that, can you? Being held in his arms looking into his dark brown eyes…"

"His eyes are am… ber."

Katara caught herself, but it was too late; she triggered the trap her friend set. She turned around slowly, and she almost gasped in horror as Suki leaned in with a smile on her face.

"I'm… very observant," said Katara, her cheeks red with embarrassment.

"Uh-huh," said Suki.

"We've fought dozens of time, when he chased Aang! There were lots of close encounters!" she said almost desperately.

"I see," said Suki, "So, how _close_ were they?"

"Shouldn't you be fawning over my brother?" said Katara before she realized the awkward statement she just said, "Actually, forget that last one. I don't even want to think about what you do with my brother."

"Ok, fine… I'll leave you alone now," said Suki with a fox-like grin.

Katara got back to work as Suki walked out of the kitchen door. But before she left, she turned to face the waterbender before going to the courtyard.

"Just you, the stew, and Zuko's _amber_ eyes."

Katara shot a glare over her shoulder, but Suki was long gone. She was fuming, and began to cut the carrot a lot faster, imagining Suki as the carrot. Toph teased her on a regular basis, but now Suki was picking on her. What was this, Karma? Was this the universe's way of saying, "Hey Katara you were so mean to a guy who was really nice and good, so we're going to torment you by having two of your friends poke fun at you for the rest of the journey to stop the Fire Lord and return balance to the world," or were they teasing her just for kicks.

"Jerks…" she muttered as she tossed the carrots and potatoes in with the boiling meat, "First Toph says I'm jealous of _that_ girl-I mean Jin, and now Suki thinks I'm attracted to Zuko. What's next? Is Sokka going to come in here and bother me too?"

"Hey Katara, what's for breakfast?" asked Sokka as he stood in the door.

"GO AWAY!" she shouted at him, still holding the knife in her hand.

Sokka just stared at her, and then the knife and back to her face again. He scooted away to the courtyard with an expression of fear and horror on his face. Katara turned her attention to the stew and began to stir it feverishly with the ladle.

**xXxXx**

Aang sat on the fountain exhausted, and Toph began to poke his shoulders, enjoying every little wince of pain he voiced out. Sokka and Suki were giggling with one another, and Zuko was sitting on the fountain with his arms crossed.

"Whoa, what did you do to him, Sparky?" asked Toph, finally bored with poking Aang's shoulder.

"Nothing, I just stepped up the exercises, and made him take the sparring more seriously," said Zuko.

"It wasn't like that," protested Aang, "You're understating everything. You're worse than Toph."

Toph grinned.

"Sooo, Sparky Hotman's training is more intense than mine, eh?" she asked devilishly, "Thank you Twinkletoes."

"For what?" asked Aang with a little worry in his voice.

"For letting me know I was getting soft. I'm not going to let Sparky here outdo me. From now on, we train at my level," she said proudly.

Aang could've sworn his soul was about to leave his body, and Sokka laughed at the expression on Aang's face as he heard Toph's words.

"Breakfast is ready!" said Katara as she carried a large serving tray with six bowls in it.

Katara set the tray down, and handed out the bowls. She gave the first three to Sokka, Toph, and Suki before giving the fourth, meatless one, to Aang.

"Thanks Katara," he said, "Just the way I like it."

Katara was a little unsettled by Aang's tone, but being in front of the rest of the group, she smiled in response. That is, until Toph poked him in the shoulder, and his body tensed in pain. Katara looked at Zuko with an angry expression on her face.

"I thought I told you to go easy on him," she said.

"I… I did," said Zuko, "I cut down on the exercises just like you asked, but you… um… didn't say anything about the sparring practice."

Katara ignored the chuckles from Toph, Sokka, and Suki, and gave Zuko his breakfast, a little irritated that he decided to use a loophole in her words. Katara sat down cross-legged, and ate her stew. She was halfway through it all when she caught Aang looking at the ground.

"Aang, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Toph wants to outdo Zuko," said Aang, hoping for Katara's intervention.

"Well, Zuko does have a point," she continued catching his attention, "We're going to have to step up the intensity of the training."

Aang's face fell and Zuko had a confused look on his face. Didn't she just say that he shouldn't be too hard on the kid, and now she wants to be a little tougher on Aang. He would never understand the logic of girls.

"But, we should do some reviews in waterbending, as a break," added Katara.

"Oh, ok," said Aang smiling, "I could use to time with you… to catch up."

Katara tensed a little. Part of her felt she was being paranoid; that the events of last night were simply getting to her better judgment. But another part felt that Aang was trying to pick up where he left off. Regardless of which side was right, she was resolved to make the next hour or two after breakfast purely about training. After finishing their breakfast, Katara led Aang to the beach, and they both got into their practice outfits. Aang was cheery, and Katara looked at him with some concern.

"Aang, you need to focus, this may be a break, but it doesn't mean I'm going to make this easy," said Katara firmly.

"Ok Katara," said Aang almost nonchalantly. "But before we do, do you think we could ta-."

Katara knew what he was going to say, but she didn't give him the opportunity. She raised her hands, summoning a massive torrent of water from the sea behind her. Aang quickly got into his stance as he saw the giant, billowing tower of water rear up like a dragon.

"Ready Aang?" was all she said before striking… hard.

**xXxXx**

Aang had a very rough day. Zuko's training was hard enough, but Katara's was particularly brutal. And to top it off, Toph made good on her word that her training was more intense than Zuko's, and it turned out to be worse than Katara's. While he knew his teachers meant well by working him hard, he was starting to think that he wouldn't get the chance to fight the Fire Lord at this point. He'd probably die of exhaustion before it happened.

Zuko decided that Aang should just go to sleep, and Katara got some fruits from a nearby tree and put them in a bowl for him in his room whenever he got hungry. She simply set the bowl down, and left the room just as he was about to try to talk to her. Katara had to lie to him, saying that the others needed help with dinner, and Aang felt disappointed as she went on the way to the dinner area. That event confirmed her suspicions; Aang was trying to reopen the conversation she was trying to avoid. She didn't feel ready to confront him, and walked quickly to the kitchen. She was even more stressed than she was during breakfast, and had the sudden urge to cook something, feeling she had to back up her lie.

However, the truth was that Sokka had gotten Zuko to cook some of the meat that he bought for dinner, seeing as how Aang wasn't around. Katara wanted to cook, but when Zuko said she didn't have to worry about it, she insisted she at least help with the preparations. Zuko was surprised at her attitude, and caved into her request. He was actually grateful he let her help since the food tasted a lot better than usual.

After dinner, Zuko and Katara were washing the dishes just as they did before. It was very quiet between the two until she looked over to him.

"Hey Zuko?" asked Katara.

Zuko looked at Katara, "Yes?"

"Is there a bath around here? I could use a nice warm soak after today," said Katara.

"No," answered Zuko.

"Wait what?" she asked in disbelief, "Why not? How can you not have baths in the royal estate?" she asked.

"Well… we don't really need them, since we have a hot spring in the back area," said Zuko.

"…You do?" said Katara, surprised.

"Well, yeah," said Zuko as if it was no big deal, "In fact I was there this afternoon while you and Toph were training Aang."

"And you just kept it all to yourself?" asked Katara in an irritated voice.

"Well, you didn't really ask?" said Zuko lamely.

"Well, could you please show me where the hot springs are?" she asked.

"Uh… yeah," said Zuko.

Zuko and Katara finished cleaning before he led her to the hot spring area. He led Katara through halls that were deeper into the estate, and she couldn't help but be curious about the things she saw. There were old tapestries, ink scrolls, and an eerie monkey statue with red ruby eyes and teeth that looked oddly familiar. Zuko stopped at a sliding door with shelves on the side.

"This is where you put your clothes," said Zuko pointing at the shelves before opening the door.

"And this is where you bathe," said Zuko.

Katara saw the very large, outdoor pool of water with what seemed like a withered cherry blossom tree over it, and a half-moon hanging over the sky. Steam was radiating from it, and Katara's heart felt like it was doing somersaults. She had realized that she had not bathed since they fled the Western Air Temple from Azula, and seeing this made her quickly give Zuko a hug.

"Thanks, now get out," she said before playfully shoving him away.

Zuko cracked a smile.

"Try not to spend too much time in there, or you'll turn as red as a lobster-crab," said Zuko, "I'll check on you in an hour."

When Zuko was out of sight, Katara began to disrobe all but her under wrappings. She put her clothes on the shelf before going into the warm, steamy water. The heat coursed through her, and she felt herself relax for several minutes. The steam entered into her nose, and her mind simply melted away.

"This is the best," she sighed as she closed her eyes and reclined, "No Aang, no Sokka complaining, no Toph and Suki bothering me… just comfortable heat."

"Don't speak too soon Sugar Queen."

Katara shot up, and saw Toph and Suki in their wrappings jump into the warm pool of water. Katara was about to object when Toph easily made herself comfortable, and Suki plunged into the water to let it soak into her hair.

"What are you guys doing here?" demanded Katara as she began to become irritated again.

"Relax," said Toph, "We interrogated Zuko into telling us where this super, sweet place was."

"It's so nice to have our own personal hot spring," said Suki.

"So much for a little alone time," she muttered under her breath.

"Sorry Katara," said Suki, "But since we're all alone… maybe we, that is Toph and I, could talk about your about a certain someone."

Katara's good mood was going away very quickly.

"Do you like Sparky or what?" said Toph bluntly.

"What? NO!" said Katara, "Zuko is simply a friend, so would you quit with your badger-moling already?"

"Oh _puh_-lease," said Toph, "You were totally jealous when Zuko was saying that whole Jin story."

"I was not," said Katara, "It was just awkward hearing it, that's all."

"You caught my mistake about Zuko's eye color," added Suki, "I mean, knowing something like that just reeks of intimacy."

"Zuko used to be our sworn enemy, of course I would have some close encounters with him," said Katara.

"Oh," said Toph, "How _close_ are we talking about, eh?"

"Not you too," said Katara, "And our encounters were not in the way you're thinking."

"You mean it wasn't like the little rendezvous you and Zuko had last night," said Toph.

Katara turned red, and Suki couldn't tell if she was blushing, mad, or if it was just the steam from the springs.

"Wow Katara," said Suki amazed, "The field trip I could imagine, but a rendezvous?"

"We did not have a rendezvous," she protested.

"Uh-huh. Did you forget I could feel vibrations from like, really far away," reminded Toph, "First Zuko leaves, then after about ten minutes you leave, then a long time later, both of you return at the same time. And you're telling me that's not a rendezvous?"

"He was upset about that stupid play, I talked with him, and we just looked at the scenery for a while," said Katara, "It's not like something happened."

Toph grew a devilish grin, and Suki chuckled. Katara had had enough, and she stood up over them.

"Can't you guys just leave me alone? I am sick and tired of all the conflicted feelings I've been feeling since that stupid play, and you two teasing me about Zuko is not helping at all!"

Katara was on the verge of crying, and Toph and Suki immediately went serious.

"Can't you see I just want a little time for myself? A lot of weird stuff has been happening and I need some time to think," she said before sitting back down on a rock.

Suki gently placed a hand on Katara's shoulder.

"What happened Katara?" asked Suki, "What feelings are you talking about?"

Katara shied away, facing the opposite direction.

"You can tell us, it's just us girls here," said Suki.

"Yeah, besides, whatever it is, if it's so bad that your heartbeat is going crazy just mentioning it you should get some outside help. Thinking about it isn't going to cut it," said Toph in an unusually comforting voice.

"You wouldn't understand," snapped Katara.

"Not with that attitude, and especially if you don't tell us," retaliated Toph.

"Please Katara," said Suki.

Katara thought for a moment. This never happened before. She was always the one who offered the shoulder to cry on, the one to lend an ear to whatever problem plagued a person's mind, but now the roles were reversed and it made her very uncomfortable. She looked to her friends and even though she didn't want to talk about it, she got the feeling she wouldn't have much of a choice. Toph wouldn't let her get away with a lie, and neither would Suki let her weasel her way out of something this bad.

"Promise you won't tell?" she asked them.

"We promise," said Suki.

"Earthbender's honor," said Toph.

She took a deep breath.

"It's Aang," she finally said.

She told them all about the incident at the playhouse, and how it resulted. She also said how it was affecting her behavior around Aang, how he seemed like he wanted to talk about it again even after she told him it wasn't the best time, and how she had to lie to him just to avoid the question.

"So you see now why I wanted to have some time for myself," said Katara.

"Oh… we're sorry Katara. We didn't know you felt like you were under so much pressure," said Suki apologetically.

"Yeah, but at least you got it off your chest," said Toph.

"I don't know… it helps, but what should I do? I don't want to feel uncomfortable around Aang. It's just wrong," asked Katara.

"Well…" began Suki, "The best way to know is to first figure out how you really feel about Aang. I mean, do you care about him?"

"Yes, of course I do," said Katara, "We're friends after all."

"Now, do you _love_ him?" rephrased Suki, "And if not, is there a part of you that thinks you could become more than friends."

Katara opened her mouth, but couldn't find the words.

'Do I _love_ Aang?' she thought.

That seemed like a silly question; who wouldn't love him. He was everything that a girl could possibly ask for. He was sweet, kind, always there for her whenever he was needed, and he was the Avatar, if she needed a superficial reason. He was a better person than her; he could forgive people that probably didn't deserve it, and he retained his innocence, something she lost when her mother died.

He was always the sweet and goofy kid that had fun. Yes, he had his moments of growth and enlightenment, and he did approach problems as an adult from time to time. But he would always revert back to his childlike behavior.

'That's the problem,' she finally thought.

It was great that Aang would always remain pure, but it also caused problems. He didn't take things seriously when he had too, he would run away when backed into a corner, and he was prone to lash out when things never went the way he wanted. Could he change though? Could he mature? Not overnight; it took Jet and Zuko months to change. Aang could change, could grow into adulthood, but what kind of man would he be like? There were too many uncertainties with Aang, especially from this point on.

"Katara?" said Toph.

Katara looked at her friends. They had worried looks on their faces, and she closed her eyes in thought. She took a deep breath and muttered the one word she had been too afraid to say.

"…No," she uttered in a cracked voice.

Toph and Suki's eyes widened. They got their answer.

"No?" asked Suki, "So…"

"I care about Aang," said Katara, "I really do, but I can't imagine being with him… like that. And as for the possibility of something in the future… it's kind of hard to imagine. To me, he will always be the little kid I found in the iceberg, my best friend, and my student. Does that make me a horrible person?"

"No," said Toph, "It makes you an honest person. I'm not going to pretend I know everything, but you should really tell Aang what you told us, and soon."

"Can't I just tell him after the comet?" asked Katara hopefully.

"Kyoshi, no," said Suki, "If you do that, then it will really hurt Aang. He'll have been expecting you to be with him by that time, and it would be so much worse. It's better to do it soon, and end any anticipation that he has now. That way, his feelings won't be hurt that badly."

"But it seems so cruel," said Katara, "He's lost so much already."

"Well, love can be cruel," said Suki, "And if you truly love Aang, you need to tell him your true feelings about him, or else you'll lose him. It will hurt, but he'll understand in time."

Katara was quiet for a while, but she sighed and got up.

"Thanks for the advice," said Katara sincerely, "But I think it's time I go to sleep, I'm tired."

Suki gave her a quick hug.

"Right, you should rest," said Suki before letting her go, "And we are sorry for bothering you like that, right Toph? Toph?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, super sorry," said Toph.

Suki shot her a look, but Katara smiled. She knew Toph was sorry, and she also knew she would never really say it to her unless it was a severe enough matter.

She left her two friends in the springs, and bent the water off her body, hair, and wrappings. Katara went for her clothes, put them on, and went to her room.

She felt as though a great burden in her heart was slowly lifting away. She had come to terms with her feelings thanks to her friends, but she knew what she had to do in order to remove the burden completely.

Suki and Toph were right. She had to tell Aang how she felt sooner rather than later, but with every solution, another problem emerges. She didn't know how to without crushing him, and tried to think of different scenarios on how to do it. However, they all ended with him either being heartbroken or throwing a fit of rage and betrayal. She could feel a hot, prickling sting growing in her eyes as tears began to form at the fear of losing her best friend as she walked through the dark halls of the estate.

"Katara?"

Her thought stopped as she looked up to see Zuko walking toward her.

"You're done," he said surprised, "I was about to check up on you and… wait, are you crying?"

Katara wiped her tears.

"No… I just had something in my eyes," she responded lamely.

Zuko did not buy it.

"Katara, I admit, I don't have a firm grasp on a lot of things, but I know crying when I see it," said Zuko trying to humor her, but to no avail.

"What's wrong?" he asked softly.

"Nothing, I'm fine," she said.

"I don't believe you. Something is bothering you, and-" began Zuko but Katara just gave him a look.

Her eyes pleaded to him, begged him to just leave her alone. Zuko hated when people did that, especially when said people were girls. There was something about how they did that look that made him lose his resolve to get to the heart of the issue, or to turn a blind eye. He sighed in defeat.

"I understand," he said, softening his expression, "But I'm not letting this go. We'll talk about it later… when you're ready."

"…Thanks," she whispered.

She began to walk away when Zuko stepped in front of her and gently pulled her back into an embrace.

"Zuko!" she squealed in surprise.

He gently held her close to him.

"Zuko… what… what are you doing?" she asked slightly dazed.

"Um… I'm trying to comfort you?" he replied sheepishly.

He let her go, and ran his hand through his hair. She looked at him as if he grew a second head.

"Sorry, it's just something my mom used to do to make me feel better when I was a kid. I thought… you know… it would work for you, but I guess I have, um… pretty bad timing," he explained.

"You're right," said Katara with a trace of a giggle before her cheeks flushed, "But it was a nice gesture."

Zuko was embarrassed at the fact that he had embarrassed himself like that.

"…Well," began Zuko as he rubbed the back of his neck, "Um… at the risk of making this more awkward than it needs to be, would you… like it if I took you to your room? I mean, not like need you need it, you know where it is… and all. I just think it would be better if you had some company… right now"

Katara was surprised at the offer, and laughed a bit.

"Fine," said Zuko walking away, but Katara tugged his sleeve.

"How could I refuse such an offer from a noble prince?" she said jokingly.

Zuko's cheeks went red and made a wry smile before he led Katara to her room. She followed, and when they arrived, he opened her door for her, and she told him to remember that Suki and Toph were in the hot spring, and that he should check up on them later. Zuko bid her goodnight, and closed her door gently.

Katara went onto her bed, and felt her heavy eyelids slowly close. She didn't know why, but all her troubles seemed so far away ever since Zuko's awkward attempt to cheer her up. She didn't get much time to think about it as sleep took her, and she fell into its comforting bliss.

**Was it nice, rushed, tell me what you all think.**

**Thank you for reading and please review.**


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